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When do babies drop a feed


When and How to Drop a Milk Feed — Malina Malkani

Timing is everything...

Once a baby has more or less gotten the hang of eating at meals, it can start to feel like you’re feeding constantly. No sooner than one milk feed ends, it’s time to offer solids at the table, and once the table meal is done, it seems like time to prep a bottle or breastfeed again!

If a baby is eating and growing well but you feel that you are feeding around the clock, it may be time to drop a milk feed, although many parents are unsure how. There is no right or wrong way to approach this very personal process; this post is meant to provide information about the choices and considerations that can help guide you while you decide what’s best for you and your baby.

The transition from breast milk or formula to primarily table foods can be seen as a progression of phases or steps which can look different from baby to baby. In general, these steps usually begin at around 6 months of age and end around 12-15 months, but every baby develops at his or her own rate and on his or her own timeline.  

It is not wrong to start dropping milk feeds later, nor is it wrong to take plenty of time to move toward the end of the progression. Parents of babies born prematurely also need to take corrected age into consideration. And there are often backtracks during the process. For example, you might find a couple weeks here or there where baby seems to want to eat less solid food and breastfeed or formula feed more as a result of sickness, teething discomfort, or a variety of other reasons.

The 4 phases of weaning:

  1. During the first phase, baby begins trying different solid foods. This phase is mostly a time of exploration, so milk feeds usually continue normally.

  2. In the second phase, baby begins to swallow more food. If the meals offered are balanced and nutrient-rich, parents can consider dropping a milk feed. It is also perfectly fine to keep milk feeds at the same amount.

  3. In the third phase, baby’s feeding skills are developing and he or she starts consuming more solid food at meals. For many babies, this happens at about 9 months of age. Meals start to feel more like actual meals as opposed to mostly exploration and play. Babies at this stage usually start filling up more from food and as a result, taking in less milk. Dropping a milk feed or two often happens naturally. 

  4. In the fourth phase, baby is getting most of his or her nutrition from food, and if 12 months of age or older, he or she can transition to cow’s milk or a quality plant milk in lieu of formula. Toddlers can also absolutely keep breastfeeding after turning one year old. In fact, the World Health Organization supports breastfeeding up to age two and beyond. Do what works best for you, your baby and your family!

Many parents want specific ages for this developmental progression, but as with many questions regarding weaning, the answer is, “it depends.” Specifically, it depends on the baby’s development, whether baby was premature, and how much exposure to solid foods baby has had, and more. A baby’s exposure to solids can be increased by parents and caregivers, but the amount of food a baby eats is dependent on different variables such as level of interest in solids, development of feeding skills, and specific medical concerns.

That said, many babies are ready to drop a milk feed by around 8-9 months given that they are usually in phase two or three at this point. The dropped milk feed can come at any point in the day that works best for you. Many parents find it easiest to drop a midday milk feed and replace it with lunch. There’s no right or wrong way to go here!

As far as when to offer solid foods versus when to offer breast milk or formula, a general rule of thumb is to move toward feeding milk after meals, rather than before. This way, baby feels hungry for mealtime and begins to associate solid foods with satisfaction. Note that drinking a lot of milk right before a meal can reduce interest in foods, even in older children.

Many parents are worried that if they offer milk after meals or drop a milk feed, the baby will get too hungry. This makes perfect sense given how concerned we are as parents about nourishing our little ones and keeping them comfortable. However, if we feed the baby too many times throughout the day, he or she may never truly feel hunger, which denies him or her the opportunity to connect solid foods with satisfaction from hunger. As babies develop, it’s okay to let them go longer periods of time between meals and milk feeds. The key is timing meals and finding that sweet spot where baby is hungry enough to enjoy the solid foods, but not so hungry that he or she has a meltdown.

I’m often asked if it’s okay to wean “cold turkey.” In general, except for some medical reasons, it is better to take a gradual approach if you can. If mom is breastfeeding, stopping abruptly can increase the risk of engorgement and mastitis, and baby may intensely resist the sudden change. If immediate weaning is necessary, however, this link has some helpful information about how to avoid severe consequences. 

In the same vein, gradually transitioning from formula to cow’s milk is also often more successful than abruptly switching from formula to a bottle of cow’s milk right at age 1, which can sometimes result in a baby who refuses all bottles. Instead, gradually mixing in small amounts of cow’s milk or another nutritionally adequate plant-based milk to breastmilk or formula can help ease the transition gently.

However you decide to drop a milk feed and move toward full weaning, know that there is no wrong way to do it. Take comfort in the fact that babies are incredible at meeting their nutrient needs when we let them lead the way!

If you are looking for specific nutrition guidance for your babies, kids or for yourself, I’m always happy to schedule a virtual consult!

And if you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, or if your baby has recently begun his or her feeding journey and you need guidance on food sizing, balanced baby meals, introducing the top allergenic foods, and making sure baby is getting the important nutrients needed for growth and development during infancy, check out my new online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.

Thank you to my dietetic intern, Annie Hanes for her research and contributions to this post!

When to Drop a Feeding for Your Baby: Merging Feeds

by valplowman

When to Drop a Feeding. How to know when to drop one of your baby’s feedings and how to go about doing it.

As your baby grows, she will take fewer feedings in a 24 hour period. A one month old might eat ten times a day, but a 12 month old eats 3-4 times a day.

That means feeding will be dropped along the way. This is referred to as a merge in newer versions of On Becoming Babywise.

When you drop a feeding, or merge feedings, you don’t decrease the amount of food your baby eats. You rearrange it. More gets taken in during fewer feedings.

You might start to drop ounces (or baby will take less during breastfeeding sessions) as more solids are eaten.

There are three ways described in On Becoming Babywise (affiliate) to drop a feeding:

  • Dropping the middle of the night feeding. This usually happens between weeks seven and nine–though it is perfectly normal to be later! Some babies drop it altogether, while others gradually stretch it out. By this I mean your baby was eating at 2 AM. Then moves toward 3 AM, etc. If you have a “stretcher,” see this post: 5-6 AM Night Wakings. There are some who don’t go by the book. Don’t worry if your child is one of these. It doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong or that you are a bad mom or that your baby is difficult. It just means your baby is one of those babies described in Babywise: “not all babies go by the book” (page 124). See How to Drop a Night Feed for more strategies.
  • Dropping the “Dreamfeed” or “late evening feeding.” Babywise says this typically happens around three months old. My daughter didn’t drop it until six months old. For more on dropping the dreamfeed, see: Dropping the “Dream Feed.”
  • Extending your routine. This is moving to a 3.5 or 4 hour routine. In this case, a daytime feeding will usually be dropped. Baby is usually ready to move to a 3-4 hour routine between three and four months, but there is no rush to get there. For more on this, see: When to Move to a 4 hour Schedule. You can also read Baby Whisperer: Four Hour Schedule.

I have listed these in the order they should be dropped.

First, the middle of the night. Then the “dreamfeed.” You want to make sure to drop the feedings in the night before dropping any daytime feedings.

You want baby to consume needed calories during the day and not night, and if you drop night feeds before day feeds, baby will still need to wake at night.

Finally, you drop daytime feeds as you extend the schedule.

If baby was eating every three hours a day and is now eating every four hours a day, then there will be fewer feedings each day.

Be sure your baby is ready to do these things–don’t force it. If you wonder what ages your child should be doing things, be sure to see: Babywise Milestones or Your Babywise Baby: First Year Overview.

Reader Questions:

  • Emily said…
    Hi,Question for you (long, sorry!)I have been weaning my daugher off of night feedings. She was not eating well during the day, so my pediatrician recommended diluting her bottle each night slowly over the course of a few weeks (ie putting less formula in the same amount of water) until she was just on water, and then when she was making it through the night on that, cutting out the water and letting her CIO.I’ve been doing this for 2 weeks, and was down to 1 ounce of formula in a diluted bottle. Well, my helpful husband got up just now at 2 am when she was crying and gave her a full strength 8 ounce bottle. I won’t even get into how irritated I am, but I’m wondering what your advice would be on what to do next. Should I start all over from 8 ounces and work my way down to 1 AGAIN? Or since I KNOW she’ll make it through the night on just 1, should I just go back to the 1? The other issue is that since she had that full bottle tonight she probably won’t eat well tomorrow and will need a night feeding again tomorrow night….ugggIt’s 3 am, sorry if I’m rambling. Thanks for your help 🙂
    October 10, 2008 12:44 AM
    Babywise Mom said…
    Emily, I would just go back to 1 unless she eats so terribly today that you need to offer her a bit more. That is good advice for dropping the night feeding.
    October 10, 2008 2:44 PM
  • Abby’s Mom said…
    Val- I have a question about bedtime feedings. I currently feed my almost 5 month old at 7pm and then she has a bath and I read a short book to her. She is then put in bed around 7:30 to 7:45. My problem is that the feeding before that does not happen until between 4:30 and 5pm so she doesn’t eat much at 7:00. But, I don’t want to move that feeding any later because she needs to go to bed. Do I need waketime after her last feeding of the day or is it okay to reverse her bath and feeding so that she has a bath and then nurses right before I put her in bed? (She does not nurse to sleep so I would still be able to put her down awake)
    May 9, 2008 9:12 PM
    Babywise Mom said…
    That is a great question. Two months ago, I would have said of course do it and leave it at that. I now have a word of caution. A BW friend of mine has a bbay a couple of weeks younger than Kaitlyn, so we were both weaning about the same time from nursing. She did things like you are proposing. She ran into difficulty weaning her son from that final nursing. She didn’t nurse him to sleep or anything, but he had apparently become attached to it. I do bedtime where I feed, then pj’s and story, etc. I didn’t have any difficulties dropping feedings. My friend says she will do things a bit different with the next child.So I would say do like the bath and pjs, then nurse, then do something else. You could read a book, before too long you will be brushing teeth, etc. Just don’t make nursing the last major event of the day.Also, I am guessing you have at least 5 feedings a day right now. Once you move down to 4 feedings, the feedings shouldn’t be too close to each other.
    May 10, 2008 2:34 PM
    Abby’s Mom said…
    Thanks for the word of caution. Trouble weaning is exactly what I trying to avoid. Abby WILL NOT drink from a bottle and we have tried EVERYTHING. So, my hope is that eventually (I am sure it will probably be closer to 12 months) she will learn to drink from a cup. Since I don’t have the option to give her a bottle, I don’t want anything else to delay the weaning process when it comes time. Thanks so much for the advice and yes I am actually still feeding 6 times a day on most days. (Mostly do to reflux, some feedings are very poor) Hopefully she will be ready to start solids soon (she will be 5 months in a few days) and we can get down to 5 and then eventually 4 feedings every day.
    May 10, 2008 7:16 PM
    Babywise Mom said…
    You are most welcome. I would start offering her sippy cups of just water right now. I would try to make it seem as though it isn’t a big deal to you. Just have it there for her to try if she wants. If you don’t like sippys, then I would offer water in a cup quite often to get her used to drinking from whatever it is you want to wean to. Kaitlyn took a while to move down to 4 feedings a day, also, because of reflux. She went to 4 when she was close to 7 months, and we started solids at 4 months. You are good to wait for her to be ready for it 🙂
    May 12, 2008 1:57 PM

Refusal to eat | Nestlé Health Science

  1. Nestlé Health Science
  2. health care
  3. Refusal to eat

Food refusal is a feeding problem that usually occurs when the baby is six to nine months old. If the child does not eat due to excessive refusal to eat or lack of appetite, this can lead to growth problems.

Why is my child not eating?

As your baby develops, he will begin to establish a feeding routine with you. If you or your baby is not easily recognizing feeding signals, it can lead to confusion and refusal to eat.
An underlying medical condition may also be present, which can upset the child and lead to refusal to eat. A traumatic experience from eating a food that causes choking or vomiting can also lead a child to refuse to eat.

Symptom analysis

Could it be CMPA?

A child who does not eat or refuses to eat presents a typical symptom for infants with Cow's Milk Protein Allergy (CMP) .
Children with CMPA usually have more than one symptom, and these symptoms can be very different from each other.

If your child refuses to eat it could be CMPA.
You may have noticed other symptoms (besides food refusal) that may affect other parts of the child's body.

For a simple and easy way to check for typical symptoms associated with CMPA, you can use our Symptom Checker.
This will allow you to select all cow's milk symptoms your baby may have. You can then discuss this with your doctor.

In any case, if you have any doubts or concerns about your child's health, you should consult with a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

Other symptoms of cow's milk protein allergy

ANAPHILACTIC SHOCK

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CRYING AND COLIC

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CONSTIPATION

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COUGH

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DIARRHEA

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ECZEMA

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GROWTH DISTURBANCE

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urticaria

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RASH

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REFLUX AND BUCK

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Runny nose and sneezing

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EDITEC

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VOMITING

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HRIP

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IMPORTANT NOTE: : It is possible to continue breastfeeding if the infant is allergic to cow's milk protein. To do this, the mother needs a special diet with the exclusion of all sources of cow's milk protein. Only if these measures do not bring the desired effect, the doctor recommends the use of a special therapeutic mixture intended for children from 0 to 1 year old. It is important to follow the correct methods of preparing the mixture: using boiled water, sterilized bottles and following the rules for diluting the mixture. Medicinal mixtures intended for diet therapy of CMPA should be used under the supervision of a physician.

If the child does not eat well: what to do and what not to do

What to do if the child does not want to eat.

- Little one, well, one more spoon - and that's it! Last! I ate only two, let's have a little more, here's the most delicious piece for you! - says the average mother, offering a spoon with one hand, playing the accordion with the other, showing the trick with the disappearance of the handkerchief with the third, turning the cutlets over with the fourth, while doing somersaults on one leg.

Sound familiar?

Every father has an instinct to bring food home, and every mother has the instinct to feed the child. And if he refuses to eat, a signal is triggered - "I'm a bad mother" or "the child is sick."

In this case, the most important thing for a parent to understand is whether the child DOES NOT WANT or CANNOT eat?

If the baby is running, having fun and looking good, without showing any signs of illness, then most likely he does not want to eat. There can be many reasons:

  • A breastfeeding child prefers milk and dairy products, intuitively understanding that he needs calcium, and now milk is healthier for him than soup.
  • The child wants cookies, not vegetables.
  • He really wasn't hungry. For example, his metabolism is slow, breakfast has not yet been digested, and lunch is already being offered. Or the child was sitting in front of the TV after breakfast and his appetite had not yet had enough time to play out. Compared to the boy next door who was outside all day.
  • If a child is not genetically destined to become Uncle Styopa, then he can eat much less than his peer, who has tall parents.
  • Psychological problems. If earlier you accidentally gave your child a bitter cucumber, then he may refuse any green food. Or you yell at the child during the meal, and for him the food is perceived as a trauma.

If your child is lively, but at the same time he has a “bad appetite”, then this is not his problem, but yours - the psychological problem of an unsatisfied instinct. If a child jumps, jumps, he has healthy nails, hair, etc., think less about what he lacks. Better think about something nice))

Active child = not a hungry child.

Wait for the natural desire and correctly distribute energy costs - take a walk more often, send the child to the sports section, or simply say: “If you don’t want to, take a walk, dinner is not earlier than seven and no snacks. ” That is, if your child simply does not want to eat, normalize feeding - strictly at a certain time and without snacks. The body will get used to secrete gastric juice strictly according to the schedule.

And one more thing. There are no rules about how much a child should eat. He can eat a kilo (and make you very happy) and 9Send 00 grams to the toilet. Or eat 100 g and learn everything.

But it is much more difficult if the child CANNOT eat.

Causes: